The Tacolneston transmitting station is a facility for both analogue and digital VHF/FM radio and UHF television transmission near Tacolneston, 11 miles (18 km) southwest of Norwich, Norfolk, England.
It includes a 149.0 metres (489 ft) tall guyed steel lattice mast, which was built in 1956 (completed in late September/early October that year). On top of the mast is located the UHF television transmitting antenna, which brings the overall height of the structure to 165.0 metres (541 ft).
The station's original mast, built from early 1954, 61 metres (200 ft) tall and first broadcast television transmissions, albeit temporary, from February 1955 and VHF (FM) broadcasts from 6.35pm on Tuesday 30 April 1957.
The transmission site is located at 52° 31′ 3.9″ North, 1° 8' 19.3" East (National Grid Reference: TM131958). In July 1989 it was reported that the transmitting station cost almost £500,000 a year to run.
The current mast has an average height of 221 metres above sea level. It is now owned and operated by Arqiva, but was owned by the BBC before they privatised their transmission department prior to 1997.
National Grid Wireless (now Arqiva) announced, on 6 August 2007, that they plan to replace the current 165 metres (541 ft) mast with a new 206.1 metres (676 ft) mast in order to ensure good digital TV reception across East Anglia after digital switchover, which took place in the area in November 2011. Arqiva also plan to replace the original transmitter hall at this site as it has now reached the end of its useful life. Work has been completed on the new structure, and for the moment there will be 3 structures (2 masts & a lattice tower) on the site. The old 165m mast is expected to start being dismantled in 2013.
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